A/N: To The Guest who claimed the terms Stoick signed were just not realistic: sorry, but I personally know of people who have been duped, conned or coerced into signing much worse documents leaving them with massive financial penalties and liabilities. Sorry, kids, but there are some very evil people out there who will prey on any weakness or vulnerability. And when you believe nothing can happen to you and you are focussed on your most precious dream, you can sometimes lose sight of the potential consequences… Obviously, if anyone feels this FICTION is too improbable (in a fandom involving dragons and Vikings btw!), you know what to do.
Ten: The Last Straw
Walking into school the next morning after an uncomfortable night at Gobber's was harder than ever and he felt as if every eye was on him. Of course, he was getting used to pitying looks and being stared at like some curious creature that had emerged from Raven Point Forest but even so, the level of interest was more than normal. He guessed they would know.
When he reached his locker, the others were already there, though no one was paying him much heed, for Snotlout was holding court. The twins were leaning lazily against the lockers and Hiccup had to tap Tuff's shoulder twice before the male twin moved with a sneer. Sighing, Hiccup dialled in the combination and dumped his books.
"Hey, guys," he said when he looked up. Snotlout gave him a cold look.
"Talking!" he snapped. "Why would we care about a loser like you."
"I know you don't mean that, Snot, so..." Hiccup replied, his tone a little irritated.
"Shut up, Loser!" his cousin repeated, a definite smirk on his already-smug features. Hiccup's eyes flashed with anger, his jaw tightening.
"What did you call me?" he demanded, glaring at his cousin. Snotlout turned to inspect him like a nasty insect.
"What you are-a Loser," he sneered. "No parents, no longer the Mayor's son, no home, no money...just why should we bother with you?"
Hiccup bit his lip to stop himself yelling at the callous words. He knew Snotlout was jealous of him and they didn't have the best relationship but to say something that cruel...
"Because we're friends," he ground out, his eyes drifting to the others. The twins were definitely laughing, Heather's expression was unsympathetic, Thuggory and Eret were whispering and Cameron was checking her phone.
"Are we?" Snotlout sneered, his blue eyes cold. "We're rich, connected and privileged. We don't mix with riffraff and paupers. And you no longer have anything that makes you worthy of our friendship." Suddenly feeling as if he was winded, Hiccup stared.
"What?" he gaped. "You're kidding, Snot? Come on...we've all been friends for over three years-and you're my cousin for Thor's sake!"
"And you've never been my friend, Hiccup," Snotlout told him coldly. "You've treated me like shit. Always throwing your weight around-hah!-and reminding us who's the Mayor's son. Well, I've got the answer for you. It's me, Loser! You're nothing!"
"But...we were friends..." he protested, stunned.
"Friends would help each other out," Heather pointed out coldly. "I asked you to help out Dagur and you didn't!" He gaped at her.
"I did ask Dad to intercede..." he protested, stung at the accusation. "But it's not my fault your brother got himself in trouble with the law for trying to kill Astrid Hofferson-and that my Dad-like most people, by the way-believed that the rule of law should happen without people interfering!" Her expression was scathing.
"Fortunately, Snot is a better friend than you were and he has promised to get Dagur off," she said coldly. Hiccup felt his eyes treacherously slide over to view his smug cousin and wondered how Spitelout would achieve that. And in all honesty, he didn't really want to know because if he would get Dagur off the charges when he had tried to maim Astrid, what hope was there for anyone getting fair treatment?
But you weren't fair to Astrid before, were you? he treacherously reminded himself. You used your Dad's name to manoeuvre things around in class. You've used his name to glide through. And it's only just struck you that you don't have that any more. But they all said they were your friends...and were so supportive after Mom and Dad...
"That's nice of him," he managed sarcastically. "I wasn't aware he was the DA or the judge but hey, maybe he's got some hidden talents. Deeply hidden..." Snotlout's thick brows dipped in a scowl.
"Haven't you got class, Loser?" he sneered.
"Just hanging by my locker," Hiccup replied sarcastically, which earned him a rough shove from Thuggory. "Hey!"
"We don't want you around, fishbone-so why don't you do yourself and us a favour and go away?" the big football player sneered.
"Hey-if you don't like it, you could always move!" Hiccup shot back, his emerald eyes flashing. "Your lockers aren't even round here! Do you mutton-heads need help finding them?"
Eret shoved him back and he slammed into a locker, gritting his teeth in anger.
"Listen here, fishbone-we don't take that from anyone!" Eret growled menacingly. "You just gotta learn your place." And he shoved Hiccup to the floor. But the auburn-haired young man wasn't taking it and scrambled right back up to his feet, shoving Eret back ferociously and advancing so he was right in his face.
"Back off!" Hiccup snapped, eyes blazing. "Neither do I!" Eret instantly pulled back his arm, his fist cocked to punch Hiccup but Heather cleared her throat.
"No," she said firmly. "He is not worth it." And she turned and walked away. Eret glared at Hiccup for another moment and then turned away. Snot gave a superior look and swaggered away, the twins following behind laughing. Thuggory and Eret stalked off, both looking angry. Hiccup stared after them-and realised that Cami had already left. He stared after them, breathing hard in anger...and sudden hurt.
They had rejected him.
oOo
He had forced himself to concentrate on the morning classes, sitting surrounded by his shroud of silence as the members of the gang joked and laughed-mainly at him. It was a surreal situation, listening to the familiar voices of this friends, the people who had been his complete support network, who had sworn to make sure he was okay and to help him after his parents died...and knowing it had all been a lie.
We'll only help and support you if you're rich and there's something in it for us.
He blinked and bent over his book, his pencil twirling aimlessly in his left hand before he made a couple of notes in the margin. They had been friends since the first day of High School, spent every weekend and every vacation over at each other's houses...but suddenly, it became apparent how shallow those bonds were. Two days before, despite being an orphan, they were acting just like normal, assuming he would inherit his parents's wealth and would at least be able to contribute. But today...they all knew what had happened with the will. Snot would have made sure of that. And what they had said to him when he was down and bereaved now rang hollow.
Through thick and thin, we're your buddies...
Except it was actually thick and thick. Buddies only with rich kids of influence. No matter what we did together, what we shared and promised, the moment your bank balance dipped, you suddenly became trash. Hey, it doesn't matter that your parents were killed, you lost your home, your future, your inheritance, pretty much everything...because we'll make sure your life gets worse. We'll dump your penniless ass to make sure you know exactly how little you're worth.
"Mister Haddock? Are you still with us?"
Guilty emerald eyes flicked up and he heard whispers and sniggers from the people he had thought were his friends.
"Um, yeah-where else would I be?" he asked sarcastically. There was an icy pause.
"What did you just say?" Mr Eckholm asked coldly.
"You heard," Hiccup replied sulkily, still angry and sore that his friends were laughing at him...
"Out!" the teacher snapped and Hiccup finally looked up-to see the man standing right by his desk, face puce with fury at the disrespect. "I do not have to accept any insolence from you. I know we have all been lenient in recognition of your recent loss but I will not tolerate indiscipline in my lessons..."
"Really? Those guys never pay attention and whisper constantly throughout the lesson," Hiccup challenged him sarcastically, pointing at the twins and Snotlout. "Did you not notice that for say...the last three years? Boy, bit slow on the uptake...so why am I suddenly the bad guy?"
"BECAUSE I SAY SO!" Mr Ekholm shouted and he flinched.
"Look, I'm having a really bad day and I don't need you having a tantrum," Hiccup replied tightly.
"You are expelled from his class!" the teacher shouted and grabbed his collar, hauling the skinny shape to his feet. "You are to leave this classroom immediately. You will be having detention and you should report to the Principal. But you will no longer be welcome in this class! Now GET OUT!" Hiccup stared at the man, biting back what he wanted to say-because his usual response to any threat was to invoke his father's authority and cow the teacher...
His dead father. Authority that no longer existed...and worse, belonged to Snotlout now.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he began but the teacher grabbed his shoulder fiercely and leaned close to his ear.
"If you are not out of this room in the next thirty seconds, you will be suspended. Understand?" he breathed.
His father's disappointed expression and words flashed across his memory and he bowed his head, nodding as he crammed his books into his bag and shoved past the teacher, closing the door behind him at twenty-nine seconds. He didn't trust himself to speak as he went because he knew he would only make things worse, if that was possible. And then he leaned back against the wall, his eyes closed and head spinning in sudden despair. He had done exactly what he had for the last three years. But the game had changed. The rules had changed.
And you're no longer a player with any value, he reminded himself as he turned to head off the see Principal Mala Wing.
oOo
After a short but incredibly demeaning lecture, he had been given an hour's detention after school and advised the would need to find something to replace the credits he had lost from his expulsion from World History. The shame in the cool order had reminded him that his father had advised him to take the subject to broaden his perspectives for whatever career he pursued-and he had let his father down again. So he had headed for the canteen and sat at the usual table, chewing his burger and scrolling down his phone and the list of other options he could join to try to replace the subject.
He peripherally heard the bell and took another bite as the sounds of approaching steps sounded and he thumbed the screen again. Students began to flood into the canteen and he sipped his soda, then placed his phone on the table and leaned back in his chair, sighing deeply. He just wanted everything back how it had been. Maybe if he apologised really sincerely to Mr Eckholm, he would be allowed back? It wasn't something he would have considered before but he knew it was something his father would expect him to do regardless. And if it didn't work, he could always find another subject...but in the knowledge he had done the right thing.
"HEY! What are you doing there!"
Snotlout's yell quietened the canteen and Hiccup glanced up to see the gang all glaring at him. He sat back in the chair and looked up into the hostile faces.
"Sitting at my usual table," he told them.
"That's our table!" Snot snarled furiously.
"Mine," Hiccup said equally firmly. "I always sit here."
"Not any more," Eret told him, cracking his fists. "That's our table. OURS!"
"Don't see your name on it," Hiccup shot back sarcastically.
"What? Oh, wait," Tuff said, whipping out a magic marker and scrawling 'THE GANG' on the top. "There! Our table, our name on it."
"Real mature, Tuff," Hiccup snarked. "Vandalism. Works every time. I always sit here. I've sat here for the last three years with my buddies..."
"And there's your problem," Heather told him coldly. "You aren't our friend any more. This is where the gang sits. Why can't you just accept that things change, Hiccup? Why do you make this hard on yourself?"
"Oh, I know that things change-and do you really think things could be much harder, what with...I don't know, my parents being killed, losing my home and everything else and now my so-called friends just dropping me because of everything that happened?" He scanned the group. "Besides, what about the fact my girlfriend is here? Don't I get to spend time with her in lunch?"
There was an awkward silence and Cameron, who had been studiously inspecting her phone, finally looked up.
"Cami? Milady?" Hiccup asked, the faintest hint of a plea in his voice. "Tell them!"
"Can we talk in private?" she asked, her eyes looking embarrassed.
"Milady-I really need you to say something now," he said, feeling ice suddenly freeze his gut. Finally, Cameron sighed and her expression as exasperated, her eyes less than friendly.
"Hiccup-you're a nice guy but it's not working out," she told him bluntly. He stared, emerald eyes wide and suddenly finding it almost impossible to breathe.
"Wh-what? When did this happen?" he asked. "Two-two days ago, we were together. We…we..." She shrugged.
"Look, I took a careful look at our relationship and had to evaluate what was in it for me and where we were going," she told him briskly, folding her arms.
"What was in it for you?" he repeated stupidly. "You mean no cabin, no relationship?" She shrugged.
"Not quite, but close..." she confirmed. "I have a future, in a good college and then running Bogthorpe Fabrication and Distribution and I can't see a penniless orphan as my boyfriend anywhere in that picture." He stared at her.
"But we've been together for three years," he protested. "You told me you love me. I love you. We've been intimate already and you-we-swore we'd be together forever...but suddenly you just...drop me?" She nodded.
"That's about it," she confirmed coolly. "You're a nice guy, Hiccup, but there isn't a future in this so I'm cutting my losses." She paused. "And I have to say that Snot is far better in the sack than you. He really knows how to push all my buttons. And he's definitely got the stamina!"
That was like a knife to the heart and he knew from her words that she had been cheating on him with his own cousin.
"How long?" he mouthed, absolutely ashen.
"Does it matter?" she asked him callously. "We're done. I've upgraded."
The scrape of his chair was loud in the silent canteen as he stood, grabbing his bag, phone and sandwich and cast her one final scathing look.
"I was wrong," he managed through the lump in his throat. Hurt, humiliated and angry beyond reason, he found he was trembling. "You lied, you faithless whore. You never loved me. You just loved you."
"Now he gets it," Ruff commented. "Now can you please get off our table? You're just making yourself look pathetic." He turned and almost said something. And then he turned away.
"I'd rather be pathetic than callous, self-centred, shallow leeches," he told her. "You were all my friends when you could take advantage of my father's status to protect you from any disciplinary problems or try to sort out your transgressions with the law and you were happy for me to pay for your lunches every single day...but the moment I hit any bad luck, you dump me because I'm no more use to you. And it's obvious that you weren't friends by any recognised description. So I am pathetic because I would have helped any one out if they needed it. And one day, when you need help, you better watch out-because none of the despicable people by your sides will stand up for you in the same way haven't stood up for me."
He walked to the far side of the canteen as the sounds of laughter filled the room and the hubbub returned and he slumped in a chair at a small table at the furthest side of the canteen. He was shaking and he ran his hands through his hair miserably. He felt sick that Cameron had so publicly dumped him and confirmed she had been cheating on him...and the revelation that she had been using him shouldn't have been a surprise...but he had loved her.
And she had betrayed him.
He became aware of someone standing by him and he stiffened, his shoulders tensing. Everything that had happened today was so horrible and he felt so emotionally bruised that he just couldn't cope with anything else. But he forced himself to look up into the clear azure eyes of Astrid, not so different to Cami's...
"What do you want?" he asked churlishly.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly. "That was brutal..."
And then he snapped, his anger, frustration and hurt boiling over. "I don't need your pity!" he snarled at her. "I'm fine! I'm a big boy. I can look out for myself-because hey-there's no one else out there for me! So thanks for your pity but you can just go back and gloat at me with your friends." She stared at him, shocked. "Did I mumble? GO AWAY!" Her eyes cooled and she spun on her heel, marching back to her table and her friends. He saw Fishlegs lean towards her, offering words of sympathy and he realised that the outcast at least had friends, support and sympathy.
Shame curled in his gut and he saw her answer the question quietly, shaking her head and studiously ignoring the young man sitting isolated and alone. She had been checking he was okay after the most bruising experience of his school life...and after everyone he thought was his friend had rejected him. She had been trying to be kind to him again-even after he had thrown her previous kindness back in her face-and he had lashed out at her. He stole at look and saw her leaning towards Anna, chatting as if he no longer existed. And to her, that was probably true.
So he grabbed his bag and the remains of his lunch and headed for the door, trying to ignore the burst of laughter from the people he had relied on and the girl he had loved.
He really was on his own now.